Eternal Dusk
by Cerise Jewel
Summary: Picking up where the events of Breaking Dawn left off, loose ends will be tied and questions will be answered in this fan-written followup. Standard pairings.
1. Prologue

I thought I would pick up where Breaking Dawn left off, tie up loose ends, and make changes according to what I and other fans found lacking in the story. This is a reupload of the first chapter where I made a miscalculation of Renesmee's age, placing her in middle school instead of elementary. Every state that I've moved into, had different grades begin in middle school. I've checked and Renesmee is an elementary school student.

Prologue: The First Steps of Independence

The Cullen household was bubbling with energy this morning. This was Renesmee's first day of school. It was also the last year that we could safely reside in Forks without arousing the suspicion of those around us. Sooner or later, townspeople would become aware of the never-aging doctor, Carlisle's family of forever youthful children, and notice that his beautiful wife was frozen in time.

At the age of three, Renesmee appeared to be a ten year old child. We were always very careful about allowing her to meet anyone that was not included in our family secret. Charlie was the exception, simply because he knew something was strange, even if he didn't know the full truth. This was to protect my father from suffering the wrath of the Volturi—the vampiric royalty of Italy that barely more than bullies in fine clothing. The overlords of the vampire world were very unforgiving, and I couldn't afford to risk Charlie's life. We could never let Charlie in on the secret of the vampires, but he was fully aware that something supernatural had occurred. Jake had seen to that by shifting in front of my father three years ago, as a way of explaining that magic really did exist. Charlie respected our decision to keep him in the dark, and actually preferred that he know as little as possible.

Renee on the other hand…Well, I haven't met my mother in person since my wedding day, and she grew increasingly impatient for a visit from Edward and me. She wanted to meet Renesmee, she wanted to see how I'd grown—photoshopped and carefully edited photographs weren't enough to satiate her need to see me. Alice was talented with a computer, and had returned some of the color to my cheeks, removed some of the unearthly pallor gained by becoming a vampire. These photographs were sent to Renee during Christmas time, accompanied by gifts and handmade cards bearing our love.

There were too many important events scheduled this year, and Alice could only foresee a small number of them. We could only assume that Renesmee or the werewolf pack was involved, muddying my sister-in-law's ability to predict trouble. Alice had a knack for scouring the future and determining that something would happen. The surrounding imagery in the vision sometimes allowed her to determine when an event would happen. She had used this ability more than once to save all of our lives. Unfortunately, the addition of half breeds and werewolves dispersed her visions. We tentatively planned a holiday visit to Jacksonville despite the anxiety that resulted from not knowing the future.

"Mama, do you really think that I will fit in?"

"Of course you will, baby," I told my half-vampire daughter without a second of hesitation. I had never fit in. Even as a child in Phoenix, I found my life surrounded by mediocrity.

My Renesmee was as beautiful as a young girl as she had been as a baby. Shiny bronze ringlets fell in soft curls to her waist, matching the length of my own mahogany mane. While my hair had ceased to grow the day that I was changed, Renesmee's had a hastened growth pattern. It had become necessary to perform a monthly hair trim otherwise she would be walking on her perfect curls. Her skin was flawless, perfect ivory with a soft touch of warm color at the cheeks. Her greatest inheritance from my human life was the unique, milk chocolate color of her eyes. My daughter had the looks of a child star destined for the big screen: limbs sleek and toned to perfection, smile bright, teeth perfect, features flawless.

We were claiming Renesmee's age to be nine years old, soon to turn ten. According to falsified records, she had been homeschooled the past year at the Cullen residence following the death of her parents.

"Would you like me to drive you to school?" Edward asked, appearing at my side within an instant. He moved so fast that it was almost difficult for even my vampire eyes to see. Edward had waited as anxiously for this day as I did. From time to time, Renesmee proved to be so advanced that there was actually very little parenting to do. We jumped at the most minute opportunity and it frustrated each of us when Jacob stepped into an authoritative role, negating her need for us even further.

Renesmee hesitated. Instinctively, my eyes cut to Jacob. My best friend had just arrived, but that was all that it took for Renesmee to become filled with indecision. The choice was always between her father or Jacob. Edward tried to show his understanding but it was moments like these that I could see the strain. There was tension in his throat and I could see the tightening of my husband's jaw whenever Renesmee seemed to show preference for Jacob over her own father.

This was ridiculous. She was only a little girl. Renesmee was my little girl. I had given birth to her three years ago but Jacob had already become such a big part of her life that we could only try to remain neutral. Edward's patience was beginning to fail, the inexplicable bond between his daughter and my best friend wearing away at his sanity. The effort was so plain that even Jacob seemed to understand that he had intruded on something special, on something that we, as Renesmee's parents, could never regain. She would grow up soon and no longer need us in this way. Then she would be his…something. His what? That was something that none of us could answer, despite Jacob's claims that his most important desire would always be Renesmee's happiness as a friend. How could he possibly want her in that way after he'd helped raise her from a baby?

"Only came to wish you good luck, Nessie," Jacob grunted awkwardly. The werewolf interloper was a part of our daily life now, ever since he imprinted on Nessie. As a family, we had debated what would happen when it was time for us to move from Forks. Would Jacob come with us? Would his pack come along with him? In my head I could picture moving to another small town, one large family of nearly eight vampires, half-breed child, and over a half dozen Native Americans. This was sure to be conspicuous. Aside from the obvious, there were other complications that would prevent such a move. It wasn't as simple as forcing the werewolf pack to pull up roots to accompany us during the cross-country flight to a new city…

"Oh." She blushed and tucked her chin. My little girl, my angel, was blushing. I didn't need Edward's powers to read his mind. Nearby, Jasper moved to the edge of his seat. He could sense Edward's rage and the Herculean effort involved in his self-restraint. I knew that he could also sense my discomfort and tried to ignore his scrutinizing glances.

"You should put your jacket on, Nessie. You'll be late for your first day." Jacob helped my daughter into her jacket, and gave her a kiss on the forehead, but not before he smoothed a bronze ringlet from her forehead.

The tendons stood out on Edward's forearms. His fists were clenched. I knew that Jacob was only alive because Edward could hear the genuine innocence in his thoughts and knew that no underlying threads of debauchery could exist. Jacob truly loved Renesmee the way that Edward and I loved her. I knew that he wanted her safety and her happiness, but how long would this last before she matured into womanhood and Jacob wanted…more? Three more years? I was the world's first mother to birth and grow a child to adulthood in six years. I felt robbed. Escaping the dirty diapers, the colic, and teething wasn't enough of a consolation prize. I wanted those toddler moments and years of awkward adolescence. I wanted time to adjust to each of the pivotal steps of motherhood, to prepare myself for dating, for love, for losing my daughter the way that Charlie had lost me. I knew that our departure from Forks was inevitable, but would Renesmee leave us to move to La Push in three years? Was I doomed to only enjoy six short years as her mother before Jacob became what was most important in her life. I may have left Mom and Charlie to pursue a life with Edward, but nearly two decades had past. Mom had time to prepare for this. She'd been able to raise and love me for seventeen years.

"Will you pick me up from school, Jacob?" Renesmee asked innocently, oblivious to the discomfort, or simply unaware that she was also _hurting_ us.

"If…" Jake's eyes cut to Edward and he realized that he was drastically close to crossing that invisible little line that kept him in our lives. "Your parents aren't able to." Thickly muscled arms crossed over his t-shirt clad chest. Jake was only nineteen years old, but he appeared closer to twenty-five. He and many of the other Quileute boys had grown to full adulthood over the course of a year following their first change, experiencing rapid growth. Despite their rapidly enhanced growth and aging, their parents and families had also enjoyed raising their boys for no less than fourteen or fifteen years each. Why was I the only one robbed of raising a chid?

"We'll be there," Edward told Renesmee. Her face didn't fall, but I could tell that she was disappointed Jacob might not be with us. That Jacob _wouldn't _be with us. Edward had made many concessions and allowed many things, but I knew without his speaking that Jacob would not be a part of this day.

Along the way to Fork's Elementary School, Renesmee was chipper and full of life. The typical conversation with Renesmee was uniquely vivid, consisting of a combination of spoken words and images that were relayed by a mere touch. Whenever Renesmee wanted to illustrate a point or provide emphasis to her words, she found a way to do it by a colorful visual image or replayed memory.

Edward and Renesmee discussed the classes she would endure, and that they would likely bore her to tears. Renesmee was sure to be admitted to every advanced placement class available at the school, if they didn't simply allow her to skip a grade or two outright. She was extremely intelligent for a child and considered to be at the genius level.

"Do I have to go to school in Fork's, Papa? When I'm a year older, I can enroll in highschool."

"It's good to get a little experience now, Nes—Renesmee." Edward gave me a sheepish look, smiling apologetically for the near-slip. He knew that I had never adjusted to the nickname that Jake gave our daughter. "Practice keeping things secret from humans and learn to control your powers. I know that it's difficult for you to hold back, but you can't treat them as you treat our family at home."

"I know," she grumbled petulantly. "I may as well become a mute."

Edward and I laughed at her childish disappointment then pulled the silver Volvo into the school parking lot. We could only do this because of the overcast day. If this special day had occurred during one of the very rare sunlit mornings, we could not have stepped from the car. The standard day in Forks consisted of a cloud fluffed sky, the air damp with the perpetual misty drizzle that clung to the air.

We walked Renesmee inside. The issue with Jacob was entirely forgotten. We were too eager to walk her to class, to meet her teacher, and enjoy the excitement of giving our child her first steps toward independence.

Forks Elementary School was as dull and disinteresting as its sister high school, though it consisted of only two buildings. The main school was separated from the Independent Learning Center by a short distance. The unimpressive building had a brick exterior, crumbling and cracked. Forks couldn't afford to renovate its older buildings, and the school was in desperate need of a layer of paint—or to simply be pushed over and razed. Built anew. Renesmee clung to me now, changing her mind about going easily without a fight. Edward rolled his eyes.

"The teachers will be friendly to you, Renesmee. There's nothing to fear," he told her gently. Edward ran his fingers through his tousled bronze hair, confident that his family's good reputation would ensure that our little girl was treated like gold. Carlisle was prone to making large donations to charities and educational institutions, but avoided throwing money around the city of Forks as if it grew on trees. There, he was simply known as the talented surgeon Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He did not want to buy the love of his coworkers, the patients, or the townspeople.

We each kissed her, and watched as she moved into her class. Leaving Renesmee behind was difficult. I worried and began to fret as hours passed, unconcerned that I would wear a hole in Esme's expensive rug or pace grooves into the floor. The drive home to the main Cullen resident was a quiet one, peaceful silence now that Edward and I no longer felt the need to fill every moment with conversation. We both also knew that the maturing of our relationship wasn't the cause of this moment's silence.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Changes

Edward's patience reminded me of a leaky faucet, trickling away drop by drop. I was absolutely certain that he would eventually cease to see reason and put his own foot down. I had already asked him to make enough concessions that I wasn't sure if I could take Jacob's side anymore. Over the years, I had failed to take an immediate stance on Edward's side and that now shamed me.

If I didn't know Jacob so well, I would have allowed Rosalie and Edward to launch him over the river like a furry discus. Had Jacob been some stranger among the Quileute natives, I would never have gone for this or shown the amount of understanding that I force myself to display. We would have moved and flown Charlie to wherever we chose to take up our new residence, visiting my dad every weekend or purchasing the necessary tickets to come to us. We could afford it. A plane flight every weekend was nothing.

Rosalie thought that we were too kind and had gone above and beyond the call of duty. I knew that she would have never humored his fixation for so long, often calling the imprinting a "magical mutt obsession" that needed to end. Edward agreed, and I knew that the other Cullens were beginning to feel minute amounts of unease. Renesmee was our child and neither I nor Edward should feel obligated to take so much possession of her—not after what I had gone through to bring her into the world. I had undertaken a large amount of suffering to see my little girl live but that wasn't the source of my selfish inclination to take _some_ kind of action.

"Mama! I enjoyed myself so much at school!" My child slammed into me. I would have given a soft, muted 'oof' sound if I could be injured by the collision. Renesmee had flown into the open driver's door and almost onto my lap, hugging me tightly. When we arrived at Fork's Elementary, Edward slipped from the driver's seat to open the rear door, but Renesmee would hear none of it. After giving her father a hug, she had dove inside to squeeze me as well. She was almost on my lap and seemed content.

Too big to sit on my lap. Too old. My Renesmee was growing too fast, and in some ways, I doubted that she was able to mature emotionally at a rate proportionate to her enhanced aging. Her intelligence was at a genius level but she still behaved as any normal kid would. All of her gifts and powers would not prepare her emotionally for adulthood, despite her body's unwanted changes. She was doomed to become a sixteen year old child. Edward taught her languages, Alice showed her fashion, Rosalie allowed her to help with the maintenance of the vehicles, and Emmett taught her to fight. None of them could teach Renesmee the maturity she would need to appear to be an adult and to face the magical force behind Jacob's love.

During the ride home she was bursting with stories and tales of her first day of complete immersion in human territory without one of us hovering protectively over her shoulder. We knew from excited touches that Renesmee had done a splendid job of upholding the secrecy that shrouded our true nature from human beings. Our daughter had done nothing to ruin the masquerade. The worries of the Volturi were proven to be unfounded.

We laughed at the funny parts, listened intently to descriptions that were accompanied by visuals, and were thrilled to know she had made friends. Some of these new acquaintances were the younger siblings of students that attended high school with me. I told her to invite home any of her new friends. I saw Edward smile out of the corner of my eye.

When we arrived, Jacob was waiting on the porch. I knew that the other members of the pack weren't around today when I couldn't smell their lupine presence nearby or hear the wet sound of living heart beats. On days like these, Leah would occasionally arrive to check in with him, or he would be left completely alone. The fear that spread like wildfire through La Push was completely smothered now that we were no longer enemies and the truce was upheld again.

Edward pulled in front of the house to park, but the Volvo hadn't even made a complete stop when Renesmee threw open the rear driver's side door and leapt out. She was at the porch in an instant. I frowned. Edward's hands tightened on the steering wheel and his expression darkened. I sometimes wondered if we were merely _envious _of the hold that Jacob had over her. He was her very best friend. Sometimes I could see the hurt written so plainly in Edward's face that it wounded me too. There was a time where Jacob and I were neck and neck when it came to Renesmee's affections but I hadn't felt victorious. I felt sick to my stomach.

I loved Jake so much that I couldn't think clearly. I didn't want to hurt him, but I could only imagine that somehow, at some point, I had to let him know how I felt. Until now, I was pressured to turn the other cheek to this, forced by the misguided belief that Jacob was good for Renesmee. Theirbond was now something which we only tolerated awkwardly through clenched teeth and tight fists. How did Claire's parents feel about Quil? I wondered if they ever thought they should kick him out of the house to find a real babysitter that wouldn't want to court their daughter in fifteen years.

_Something has to be done about this, Edward._ The innate ability that concealed my mind from Edward was pushed aside, discarded as if it were a blanket to lift away. I saw him nod quietly. _He isn't healthy for her._ Another nod. Edward and I began communicating this way shortly after I perfected my talent for lowering my own mental defenses. It was a great time-saver that allowed me to share my thoughts and memories with Edward whenever I needed, abolishing further misinterpretation of my feelings. I still had my privacy whenever I wanted it but I could also show my husband how truly happy I was with him.

Jacob was obliviously residing in his own little world where only my three year old daughter could exist. I wondered if Charlie felt this way years ago when I was a seventeen year old girl hopelessly in love with her boyfriend. Edward had become everything to me, and had occupied every facet of my life outside of school. After the Cullen family left Forks, I became a shell of my former self and moved like a shadow through life, wounded so deeply that only Jacob could restore my spirit. I realized how much I had indirectly hurt Charlie then by forcing him to watch my heartache and suffering. Had our love really been any different?

_Yes. It was completely different_, I chided myself immediately, reminded that Renesmee wasn't even near adulthood for a half-breed or a normal human child. I hadn't exactly been a normal human teenager either. I was meant for this life. Even Carlisle had once told me that he wondered if I had been born more genetically compatible for vampirism. Billy Black had a theory that some individuals were the subject of imprint due to a higher compatibility for growing werewolves. Couldn't it be possible that this was true for vampires, that some of us were stronger and faster for a reason? Rosalie was skeptical, as vampirism had only magnified her beauty and vanity. Vampirism had done more for Edward, Alice, Jasper, and even me than it had for Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie. We felt divided about Emmett who had been very strong in life and was perhaps the strongest vampire we knew now. Did his brawny build count?

There was Renesmee, who inherited our powers. Those were powers that I possessed even in life—but according to Edward, I had originally inherited them from Charlie. I wondered now if changing Charlie would result in two vampires possessing shield traits. I never wanted to find out, but it was a theory that Carlisle took a great interest in. Perhaps some humans were simply genetically predisposed toward becoming vampires.

This was the life that I was born for. I couldn't say that I was meant to fall in love with Edward Cullen, but vampiric life suited me so well that I couldn't imagine living my dull, dreary human life to its end anymore. Remaining human to marry Jacob, to become mother to his children, and living a short but pleasant life seemed laughable now.

It hurt me to take such a step toward hypocrisy but it was what I believed was best for my child. Jake would be destroyed by her removal from his life, but we had to give Renesmee a fighting chance to move forward without a predetermined mate looming over her head like a guillotine. The future wasn't set in stone.

Or was it? Edward had refused to acknowledge that Alice's vision of my future showed red eyes and flawless, ivory skin. Despite all of Edward's trouble and effort, here I stand as a member of the undead. I wasn't entirely positive that I still believed that the future could be thwarted and that destiny was not some all-powerful, unstoppable force. I wanted to find a way to stop it, a way to cancel the imprinting and restore Jacob's free will to leave my daughter.

***

"Scotland," Emmett suggested while slouching back even further in his chair, both of his large, muscular arms folded behind his head and rippling with corded bands of thick muscle. Edward looked like a child beside him, so lanky and boyish by comparison that I doubted he could ever claim to be older than his mid-twenties. Emmett was large enough that he could almost claim the same age as Carlisle, who was pushing his mid-thirties now at Forks Community Hospital.

"There's always Ireland," Jasper added in his deep voice.

Lately, I had taken to scrutinizing the features of his brothers, measuring his youthful features against those of the two elder members of the coven. How old could we claim to be—how long could we stay in a new town if we were to move again and again? Would I too, be doomed to a miserable life of matriculating from one institution to the next?

I would do it, but I wouldn't be happy. I wouldn't be pleased to work so hard to get out of high school, only to re-enroll again years later so that I might remain in some new town for another ten years, as opposed to moving away after five before neighbors caught on to our never changing appearances.

The Cullen family was divided. Renesmee fell asleep earlier than usual to rest for school, so Edward and I met the rest of the family at the big white mansion, leaving our child behind to sleep. We weren't afraid that anything would happen to Renesmee in the short time that our coven would convene at the mansion. Edward's listening abilities extended far, leaving him capable of hearing thoughts of any approaching intruders. Our daughter was safe.

"Then it's decided. At the end of the school term, we will take residence in Ireland," Carlisle stated while wearing a very thoughtful expression. He wanted this transition to be painless for Renesmee. I didn't think that painless was possible for either my daughter or me.

"Why wait?" Rosalie cut in. "Why should we put it off? If we are going to move, we should leave as soon as possible," she said eagerly, perhaps a little too enthused by the potential escape from Jacob. "We do have our house near Dublin."

It felt very surreal to me. Forks had become my home and felt as comfortable to me as Phoenix had. Could I feel this way about a third home, then a fourth, and a fifth, as we moved on from town to town to safeguard our secret? I would have to. It was time to move on from the second home I had ever known. Instinctively, I looked at Alice, awaiting her response or some sort of vision to save us from making a terrible mistake. Unfortunately, the addition of Renesmee to this equation seemed to completely negate Alice's ability to make predictions.

"Bella, won't you give your opinion?" Edward prodded gently. All eyes were brought to me again, Carlisle's soft and compassionate. Esme's were concerned, worried, and filled with motherly love for me. Rosalie was impatient, Jasper indifferent, and Emmett was bored.

I didn't know if I could leave Charlie and Renee behind by moving thousands of miles away, separating myself from my parents by an ocean. "Is there anywhere else in America?" I asked reluctantly, putting on my most hopeful expression. All members of the Cullen family were looking at me and I had no doubt that some believed I was behaving foolishly. Childishly. We couldn't keep Renee and Charlie in our lives forever. Sooner or later, one of them would realize that we weren't aging anymore. How long could we pass that off as Carlisle performing excellent cosmetic care. Never mind the fact that I had gone nearly my entire life without picking up a makeup kit, and clearly didn't give my appearance any thought. The Bella that my friends and family knew would never go under the knife to preserve her looks.

"I know that I'll have to let them go one day," I explained. "But can't that wait until it's necessary?"

Carlisle was sympathetic and Esme's empathic expression conveyed the compassion she felt for me. She didn't want me to suffer. I also knew that she had made a sort of kinship with Renee over the years, beginning with my wedding. Esme couldn't bear to take another mother's child away.

"Alaska," Esme offered wisely in compromise.

"Again?" Rosalie sniffed in disgust.

"We have a plan," Alice chimed in suddenly, though she had been completely silent until now. Alaska was safe. We had Alice's approval. Despite Renesmee's presence, she saw through to our destination and gave me a cheerful smile.

***

I should have nothing to fear from the man that had been my best friend. I knew of his loving nature and protective qualities. I knew that he had cared for me so deeply that he would have married me in a heartbeat and given me a…litter of happy, brown-skinned children that were warm, soft, and exceptionally average. As surely as I knew that Jacob was a good man, I also knew of his manipulative ways. I abhorred the thought of Renesmee becoming a martyr that stepped up to accept the role that I could not. She would not become Jacob's one and only simply because this was the way the werewolf gods had decreed it to be. If she refused him, Jacob would surely pull out whatever tricks he could to get her to see that he was _best_ for her. His promises that all he cared about were her happiness weren't enough to assuage Edward, whose memory was unforgiving and cold. Their camaraderie ended when our child was at stake.

"She's a _child_, Bella. How could you think that I'd feel that way about a little girl? All that I want is her happiness. I want that as much as you want it, as much as Edward wants it. There's nothing s—" He couldn't utter the word. I couldn't blame him. Everyone in the werewolf pack and vampire coven knew that wasn't what drew Jacob to my daughter. "--_Bad_ about what I feel for Renesmee, and I thought you understood that. You think I'm not safe with her?"

"That's not it, Jacob, and you know it." I nearly hissed, taking offense to his tone. He was wounded, which made me feel immensely guilty. I did not want to feel guilty right now, nor did I want to provide Jacob with an edge. "She's aging so rapidly, Jacob. The way that you feel now isn't how you will feel when she appears to be as old as me. Can you honestly look at me and say that you won't feel compelled to___love_ her?" There was a touch of emphasis to my voice to illustrate that I meant the word in more than one way.

Jacob's expression instantly transitioned from pained mortification to rage. "THAT'S SICK, BELLA!"

"It's realistic!" I yelled back in a voice that wasn't nearly as intimidating as his roared baritone.

"How?!" His hands were clenched, veins standing prominent in hard-muscled forearms. Edward was there in an instant, Jasper and Emmett standing at the front door, still within the house. They were both waiting for a signal. I could sense them, an indirect facet of my powers that allowed me to guard those around me, bringing them under the cloak of my mental shield.

Edward chose this moment to interject with his own commentary. "She won't appear to be a child forever, Jacob, and you've said it yourself that no female can resist the allure of an imprinting. That no one has wanted to--that their will is taken away as much as the Quileute that imprints. Tell me, Jacob, of all the others that have imprinted, has anyone told them _no_? And if she should disregard your love, won't you pursue her with the same relentless dedication that haunted Bella?"

Haunted. Edward had a way with words. Haunted was entirely how I felt during those months when I wanted to love Edward and be with only him. Jacob wouldn't allow that, playing on my emotions and selfless need to see him happy as well. I swallowed unnecessarily and lowered my chin, both habits left from my former life as a human. I could no longer blush and it took these slight nuances to determine that I had become embarrassed.

"That was only because of Renesmee!" Jacob argued back hotly. "She wasn't born yet, but it was her that brought me and Bella together. You're at fault as much as I am for what we put Bella through—"

Edward wasn't hearing it. His eyes were cold and his jaw was set. It had taken months of this before I saw the kind of response that my husband displayed now. The last threads of his patience finally ripped. He knew what he was to blame for, he had apologized again and again for the pain that I endured during our separation. Jacob may have filled that empty, bleak hole left behind when the Cullen family left Forks, but he didn't have the right to rub Edward's nose in it as if he were a naughty puppy.

"That reason is precisely why I want you away from our child, mongrel. If you would do that to _Bella_ due to Renesmee's unborn influence, then what will you do to _my daughter_?"

Jacob was taken aback by the accusation. His features were no longer hardened, but there was a wide-eyed, helpless look to his face that made the use of Edward's powers unnecessary. Our prospective departure from Forks was imminent and there was nothing he could do about it. I couldn't look at him anymore, but I felt Edward's hand against mine, his long fingers clasping over my ivory digits. Edward was privy to those thoughts, to the powerless anxiety Jacob faced, knowing that his days with Renesmee were now numbered the way that the days of my own life had been numbered before her conception. I did not envy Edward at that moment if Jacob's mind mirrored his anguished expression.

We were standing on the lawn of the beautiful Cullen home; the three story ivory manor was a testament to Esme's wonderful restorative and artistic skill. Esme had only returned that night from an impromptu visit to Thorne Bay, Alaska to not only secure property, but to begin the first stages of renovation for a new home. Or set of homes. Rosalie and Emmett planned to join us as a married couple, just as Edward and I would continue as newlyweds. Jasper and Alice were the only ones who didn't feel the need to tie the knot again in this particular 'life'. I should never have been surprised to find out everyone had already married at least once. Rosalie had put Emmett through several lavish affairs whenever they chose to become publically known as man and wife while everyone else was apparently satisfied with only one wedding. Carlisle and Esme always began as a married couple, while sometimes Jasper and Alice simply cut to the chase and did the same. Due to Alice's petite frame, pixie-like build and youthful features, it was rare that anyone ever knew her as Alice Whitlock because it would be as scandalous as my early marriage to Edward. Who allowed that sixteen year old to marry a grown man!? I could hear the gasps of shock and controversy.

The other members of the Cullen family were now present. Lurking on the edge of the grounds, I could smell several members of the wolf pack. Leah was standing completely still and Seth was pacing. They were all listening to the confrontation that had interrupted Jacob's usual evening visit. Expecting this, Rosalie and Renesmee were away in Seattle.

"I guess…" Jacob was faltering, he swallowed, and his features were pinched and pained by the realization. I could hear the racing of his heart and the quickening speed, I knew the anxiety he suffered and ached for him. "I guess that it doesn't matter what I say anymore. You've already made up your minds, but think of what this is gonna do to Nessie."

"We've thought of it. A heroin addict doesn't want to be separated from his supply, but it is what's good for him." I hated myself for saying the words. "Jacob Black, you're my friend, my best friend, but I don't want this for my daughter."

"You're a hypocrite, Bella." Expecting those words didn't make it sting any less. Fortunately, I had a response.

"Edward may not have been healthy for me but I wasn't a three year old child. I wasn't _raised_ by him. Even more importantly, Jacob, I had a _choice_!"

Jacob burst out of his clothing, but it wasn't in an aggressive stance towards any of us. Instinctively, Edward stepped in front of me, ready to drop into a protective crouch. A bit of Jacob's shoe hit the porch, and a button from his shirt rolled across pavement as shoe laces snapped and popped from splitting sneakers unable to contain large human-skull sized wolf paws. I saw all of this in slow motion with clarity that my human eyes never possessed. The wolf that had stood there was gone faster than my human eyes would have processed. The rest of the pack followed.

"He will forgive you," Edward assured me gently when I continued to stare toward the trees long after the wolves were gone. "He didn't lie when he said that he cares about Renesmee's happiness. Hating you would make Renesmee unhappy. It would hurt her more."

Edward's logic wasn't off-base, but it made me feel sick to my stomach. Not literally, anyway. I couldn't feel nausea anymore, not really—the closest I had come to that was when I had tried to eat human food. Charlie and I had taken in dinner together with Renesmee one evening a month ago. I couldn't refuse him, nor could I simply tell Charlie that I no longer needed that kind of sustenance. I choked it all down with false enthusiasm. The garden burger was tasteless and bland like a slick clump of clay, the bread tasted like Styrofoam, and the ketchup was tomato colored mud that slid down my throat. It wasn't until we were leaving Charlie's a half hour later that it hit me. I hit the brakes and pulled the Volvo onto the side of the road, I threw open the door and began to choke and heave. My stomach cramped and churned until every ounce of the vile mess came up.

"It feels so wrong to separate them… I thought that… I thought that this would give us peace, that I would feel better."

"It's the right thing to do, Bella. She deserves a chance to love whoever she wants to without it being decided for her at birth."

"You're right," I agreed, forcing an insincere smile. Edward could see right through me. At his disapproving expression, I gave up and sighed, leaning against him for a hug. We remained that way until Renesmee and Rosalie returned an hour later from Seattle. Neither of us wanted the responsibility of announcing to her that we would be moving away from the only home she had ever known, but we had decided to take on this task together. It didn't help that Emmett and Jasper had each returned with rental Uhauls. When the Cullen family fled Forks for my safety years ago, practically all of their belongings were left abandoned in the beautiful white manor, but this time, Esme and Alice were intent upon removing their favorite objects. Esme had several prized pieces of furniture which she had hopes of taking with her. Alice had a closet space that could rival a department store and was unwilling to leave it all behind again. There was finality to her decision to remove her excessively large wardrobe that brought chills to my spine. Had Alice _seen_ something that she wasn't telling me? Did she know that we would not be returning to the overcast little town of Forks again in the immediate future?


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sacrifices

Billy Black must have said something to Charlie about our imminent departure, because the cruiser noisily made its appearance the next afternoon while Renesmee was still enjoying Forks brand education at the elementary school. He didn't look happy. In fact, the stress was apparent in Charlie's features, and it knotted my stomach to know that we were the cause of it.

"What's this about you moving, Bells?" he queried without so much as a hello to either Edward or me. Charlie eyeballed the two U-Haul trucks then turned a disapproving look to me. He was upset, and I could always tell when my father was in distress. I looked to Edward for help, but his features became smooth marble. The unreadable expression didn't help me feel at ease, even if I knew there was nothing to fear from Charlie.

"Dad, remember when I told you that we would all eventually have to leave—that it has something to do with Renesmee's unique nature, and the weirdness that we can't speak of?"

"Jake said if I was tough enough to handle it, you could stay a little longer. You can't take her away from me now, Bells. You two can't leave."

There was genuine, open honesty in Charlie's face that told me that it wasn't Billy or Jacob that put him up to this. At first mention of the news that we were leaving, Charlie must have immediately rushed over to plead his case. The distress made his crow's feet and laugh lines more visible; it aged Charlie and my enhanced vision and attention to detail drew attention to the invasion of grey hairs at his temple, standing apart from his dark brown curls. How much more was present since I had moved to Forks? How much of those silvering wisps had I added with my foolish behavior and negligence?

Edward's words were nothing more than a faint, barely visible flutter of his lips that Charlie would not be able to detect. It was audible to me, to other vampires nearby but not to my human father. "Be strong, Bella. You will be able to see your father as often as you need."

Be strong. He wanted me to be strong. My husband wanted me to be brave enough to see this moment through for our child's welfare and well-being. I swallowed unnecessarily and turned my eyes away from my gorgeous husband, so that my attention was once again resting completely on Charlie. Edward's support didn't remove the sick feeling of apprehension from my belly, something which being almost an immortal didn't seem to fix.

"It's time for us to leave Forks, Dad. None of us want to take Renesmee away from you, but people will notice _things_." These were things which Charlie had surely noticed, because his expression changed, becoming less hurt and more thoughtful. I walked toward him, quietly, deliberate slow steps to enfold him in my arms for a hug. Did Charlie feel the stone of my body, how harshly unyielding my skin had become? Of course he did. He never commented, but these were things that he noticed. When he kissed my cheek, he was aware of the warmth that I lacked.

"Bells, I don't want…. I'm not ready to say goodbye." Charlie wasn't the type to force me to do anything I didn't want to. He knew from my tone and expression that I was resolute in my decision to leave Forks and that the Cullens weren't whisking me away against my will.

I kissed my Dad's cheek, then looked up into his eyes—my eyes were no longer the milk chocolate that I inherited from Charlie, but now a golden butterscotch that complimented my waves of deep mahogany hair. I smiled an earnest and sincere smile, regrouping the courage that I thought was spent in the confrontation with Jacob.

"We aren't saying goodbye, Dad. We will visit and we'll send tickets. We'll call. You can learn to use that new computer and webcam that I gifted you for Christmas." The ways of continuing contact with Charlie were numerous. "I know that isn't the same as driving down the road to see us whenever you want, but I promise, Dad, we aren't removing ourselves from your life."

"When are you leaving?" he asked, seeming to have more questions queued after we answered the first.

"Friday evening after Nessie's out of school," Edward responded quietly. I was relieved when Dad gave him an even look without hostility. It had taken some time, but Charlie came to terms with my 'changes' and that Edward was responsible. The unconditional love of a father for his daughter seemed to restore his faith in the Cullen family. He no longer glared at Carlisle as if he were a traitor. Of course, Charlie had never stopped loving Alice, who was too sweet and loveable for his anger to diminish their relationship during and after my pregnancy with Renesmee. Charlie had gotten over it, realizing it was necessary, the lie was something we had to uphold for our safety.

"Have you told Renee?"

His next question hit me like a pile of bricks, only because I hadn't thought of it. "Mom," I uttered quietly, turning my face to Edward with wide eyes. I knew that my tone of voice and expression gave me away when Charlie laughed.

"Good luck with that, kiddo." Charlie's defeated look was gone, and in its place, he looked smugly confident that somehow, Renee would make me pay for deciding to leave. "Where are you guys moving anyway?"

"Alaska," I answered with a grin. I had planned to visit the University of Alaska years ago but my college career had not seemed so important recently. I had years, decades, centuries perhaps, to dally in different schools and colleges. I could learn at my leisure. There was no rush to attend college now. Dartmouth could wait as well. It seemed that in a few years, Edward, Renesmee and I would be attending together...

Alice's psychic aptitude rubbed off on Charlie. "I hope that you plan to go to college while you're there," Charlie chided me. It was then that he looked at Edward, without the reproachful glare that used to accompany any commentary toward my husband. "You'll make her go, I know it. I don't care what's…different about her now. She needs a good college education."

It was occasional but Charlie did pester me to go to college. If attending school would take some of the sting away from our planned relocation, then I would go. "Sure, Dad. Then maybe we'll go on to Dartmouth too." I snuck a look at Edward to see that his mouth had turned up at the corner. He really had his hopes set on getting me into an Ivy League university during my new immortal life. Edward couldn't pass up the chance to force me into new experiences.

A meeting that had felt like it was the end of the world turned into something pleasant. Charlie was invited inside. He watched sports with Emmett for a while I made lunch in the large, often-unused kitchen. As he ate, I loaded a sheet of cookies into the oven and we continued our conversation. Charlie would sacrifice many of his fishing Saturdays to fly out of state Friday nights, returning Sunday evenings. The two week summer vacations once spent with me in California were to be in Alaska now. He looked forward to the ice fishing. Charlie didn't care where he spent time with his family; it only mattered that he could be with us.

It wasn't the end of the world, after all. My relationship with my parents would survive.

***

None of us took any joy in telling Renesmee that we planned to move and that is why we had waited until practically the last minute to tell her. Some small part of me almost expected her to demand to stay behind with the wolf pack. I thought she might ask to live in La Push with Jacob. She didn't.

Her reaction wasn't what I expected. There was no childish temper tantrum accompanied with tears and screaming. She didn't level the Cullen house with the ferocity of her outrage. Renesmee took it like an adult. It was eerily disappointing from the standpoint of a mother that was prepared for nuclear holocaust.

From the moment she returned home to see two U-Haul trucks in the driveway, she had accepted it as a natural part of our life as vampires. We couldn't put down roots in the same area for too long. We had raised her to know this understanding. Perhaps, she didn't quite realize that this meant there would be no more Jacob…that _her_ Jacob was not coming with us.

Overnight, she loaded her own room into the U-Haul without help, though Jasper and Emmett both offered their assistance. When she returned from school and found Charlie in the kitchen, stuffing his face with walnut encrusted chocolate chip cookies, she gleefully joined him and choked down a few cookies with her grandfather. Unlike the rest of us, she could eat and digest food. My own ventures into human nutrition had resulted in disaster.

It wasn't until Charlie had left for the night to meet up with Sue and Seth, that she voiced her own concerns. "Is Jacob going to move in with us?" Thorne Bay was delightfully small town and similar to Forks in some ways. Cozy, comfortable, and had such a feeling of home that I looked forward to it. I had forgotten the bustling, crowded sensation of Phoenix and no longer missed it. I abhorred the thought of returning to a large city at some point in my new unlife, now that I had enjoyed habitation in Forks so much.

"Jacob…won't be moving, Nessie." Edward's eyes cut to me ever so briefly and were upon Renesmee again as if they never left her. "He has a responsibility to his pack, love."

My heart was breaking, because my daughter's heart was breaking. It was plain, so easy to see on her beautiful face. The tears came and wordless pain prevented the sort of screaming, flailing fit of emotion that I had thrown when Renee came from Florida to take me home from Forks. I hugged her to me, and one of Edward's arms curved around both of us.

"I don't want to leave Jacob behind, Mama. I don't want to leave him. Why can't they come with us?" The questioning voice of innocence was more than I could handle. The Bella that would have cried with her was dead but I ached for those lost moments sometimes, wishing I could cry as well. I was now a stone hard, cold-skinned vampire that could only show my sympathy by hugging her close, stroking her back, and providing her with every ounce of love that I could through heartfelt words.

"I know, sweetheart. Jacob has a duty to uphold to his pack," I explained gently, though my advanced, highly intelligent daughter knew that already. "He can't leave them, and they can't move with him."

After all, several of his pack members had imprinted on local girls, and it would be terribly unfair of Jacob to decree that they should move, so that he could be with the object of his own love. More importantly, Edward and I had taken our stance, something which I was loath to confess. I couldn't admit to Renesmee that we were moving to drive a wedge between her and Jacob's relationship and to prevent the inevitable love that would bloom from what was innocent _now_.

It felt like what we should do as responsible parents. It was what Charlie would do, if he knew the extent of how close Jacob was to his granddaughter. Renee was all about choice and it was what she would do, if she knew that our child was destined to have no choice in her future lover and life partner. Her mate. The man she would give puppies. I had no prejudice against Jacob for being a werewolf, neither did Edward. The only person who truly held it against him was Rosalie. The others politely avoided this area of the house. Emmett, who was watching the television, feet kicked up on the table, a sports magazine on his lap, had slipped away so silently that he may as well have been a ghost.

There was a time that having Jacob absent from my life would have left a bleeding, raw hole behind, no smaller than the one that Edward had wounded me with by pulling up roots to leave Forks. No smaller than the hole Edward would have left behind if he succeeded in convincing the Volturi to kill him. It felt wrong to do this to Renesmee, now that this was _her _raw, bleeding hole to mend.

I couldn't imagine any other way that this could play out. If we were to stay in Forks, townspeople would eventually become aware that we weren't normal. If we were to stay just long enough for Renesmee to become an adult and stay behind with Jacob, then she would have been taken from us, as we were forced to leave her. How could I abandon my six year old child? It was true that she wouldn't be a child and that she would appear to be just as old as her mother, but the suggestion left a sour taste in my mouth. We could pick up and move, and Jacob's pack could become nomadic, following us to each new destination, but the trauma of separating some of his pack members from the girls they imprinted would be too much. Claire certainly wasn't old enough to leave her parents. Her parents would have a full eighteen years with her before she inevitably fell in love and left them.

Was I always destined to become unhappy by losing someone that I loved? It seemed so unfair that I couldn't have everything and that someone always had to suffer. It seemed wrong to suggest that I should be so selfless as to sacrifice my one and only daughter to pay the blood price of receiving infinite joy and wonder by Edward's side.

"Things will seem better one day, Renesmee. I can't promise that you will feel better tomorrow, baby, but things will be better." It was a promise that I felt confidence in making. I smiled down at her, wishing I could share in her tears.

"Will Jacob come to visit before we leave?" she asked earnestly, turning her small face up to mine, brows pinched, expression curious but pained.

"I'm not sure. I will call Billy to ask." And I would tear Jacob's head from his shoulders if he spitefully said something to hurt our relationship with Renesmee. She didn't need to know the true reason just yet. Pitying the situation and sadly recalling a time when Edward had left me, second thoughts plagued my mind.

There was a sense of wary trepidation in the pit of my stomach, warning me to cease any plans of calling La Push. Everyone there must hate us. They probably viewed us all as disgusting, traitorous blood drinkers again, callous and cold-skinned monsters with no heart or feeling.

For my daughter, I would brave the mass of angry werewolves. It was only a phone call.

***

It was Thursday evening without any sign of Jacob. I placed two calls to La Push, contacting Billy and receiving terse responses to my inquiries about Jacob. As I predicted, the residents of the Quileute reservation were upset and displeased with us. To take away the object of a werewolf's imprinting… it was a painful, abhorrent act. As pack leader, Jacob couldn't simply shrug aside his duties and allow someone else to step up as Alpha. The members of his pack couldn't easily defect, not without strong and intense feelings motivating the action. It wasn't like deciding to take the Volvo instead of the Aston Martin. Pick and choose someone new for whatever suited the occasion. They were _bonded_ to Jacob. He was the future Chief of Legends. La Push was his permanent home.

None of us could bear to see Renesmee sadly waste away and her entertainment became top priority. We had to soothe and distract her from the predicament that loomed ahead. Edward and I took her rollerblading in town.

"I think we need to try harder to prove that your father isn't perfect at everything," I stated humorously, a wide grin spread over my face. Renesmee had a small fit of giggles, twirling gracefully upon pink-wheeled rollerblades. Her hair was drawn into a single ponytail but the soft curls of bronze still reached the small of her back. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed with exertion. Edward and I were ivory and pale, unable to blush or redden at the cheeks no matter how hard we worked, how much we pushed ourselves. We had fed very well that weekend but the feast-induced coloration was beginning to fade. Our butterscotch colored eyes were darkening to burnt gold.

"I am hardly perfect, Bella. I have had more years of practice." He rolled his eyes and I stuck my tongue out at him in response. I looked so childish that Renesmee giggled behind her hand.

"On rollerblades?" I asked incredulously, unable to recall anytime that Edward had ever donned blades or skates. Of course, he probably knew how to skateboard, ski, snowboard, and engage in a host of other sports activities. Considering my tendency to underestimate the Cullens, it occurred to me that there might be sky-diving parachutes and hang gliders hidden somewhere on the premises as well. Maybe even a boat. They seemed to do everything. I had never asked and began to marvel at what things the Cullen family bought with their amassed wealth for the sake of entertaining one another during this long immortal life.

"Ice skates," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone, grin spreading over handsome features. Of course he would know how to ice skate. All northern-dwelling vampires probably knew how to ice skate and I deduced that the Denali vamps likely knew as well.

"Ice skating isn't the same as rollerblading," I complained. The number of years that I spent as an inept, clumsy human incapable of traversing stable ground had handicapped my knowledge of sports and physical activities. Now that I had grace and strength, I was glad to engage everyone in baseball, basketball, volleyball, and any other kind of ball that they could throw at me. This was only my third time on rollerblades, but it felt as if I had been wearing them for years. My vampire-enhanced reflexes and balance meant that I excelled at this now. The old Bella would have broken her tail bone by now. I marveled at what venom could do to an uncoordinated teenage girl.

"There are similar mechanics, Mama. It's almost the same thing." She would take Edward's side of course.

I pushed off on my right rollerblade and soared down the sidewalk, twisting my shoulders once I'd widened the gap between us by over ten yards. I threw myself into an easy backwards glide by pushing my rollerblades out from one another then bringing them in close together again at the ankle. I continued to careen gracefully down the cement pavement, urging my husband and daughter to catch up with a wave. Edward could out-skate me any day, just as easily as he could outrun both Renesmee and me. In public, he often pretended to be less talented. I heard many tales of how inept he and Alice could be in PE class, since they didn't want to reveal their supernatural prowess in a gym full of children. I didn't want to completely downplay my talents. I really didn't. Now that I wasn't boring and dull Bella, full of fragility and weakness, I felt that I owed it to myself to show off just a little.

The first thing we did was breeze past the Newton's gear supply store, laughing merrily the entire way. I saw Mike hastily step to the door and lean out to wave. I returned the friendly gesture then cruised close enough to Edward to wrap an arm around his waist. Most of my high school chums and buddies weren't in Forks anymore, though many were doomed to return for a life of small town monotony, like their parents before them, and grandparents before them. Angela and Ben were away at college, as was Jessica and some of the other members of our old lunch table group. Mike attended local community college and remained at the family store.

Renesmee held my hand at the side that Edward didn't occupy. I wondered how others saw us together, if they envisioned us the way I once saw the Cullen teenagers at their cafeteria lunch table, resembling a Normal Rockwell painting. We often received compliments from uninformed Forks natives who were in the dark about our family situation. We were one of the happiest married couples to become hitched at such a young age, and old-timers felt it was their duty to tell us how cute we were. How proud they were of us following traditional standards then responsibly raising a child half our age; according to the news, which was the closest these people came to receiving a taste of city life, most people didn't want to take care of their own children when they were our age.

Edward leaned down to kiss me, a semi-chaste touch of our lips that might have been worse if Renesmee weren't present. Renesmee was a big girl and would have to accept that her parents kissed one another sometimes. I responded anxiously, leaning up against him with all of my weight, repositioning my right foot so that the blades were perpendicular.

Edward toppled over onto the sidewalk and I landed atop him with a muffled oof of my face against his chin. Smooth. After three years, I still hadn't grasped all of the nuances of restraining my supernatural strength. My newborn strength had diminished but it was easy to exert too much force and effort. Edward warned me during those pre-marriage years when I was anxious and yearning for his physical affection. If he were even slightly distracted, he could crush my skull when meaning to caress my face. This tendency to occasionally miscalculate seemed to replace my human clumsiness.

"Get a _room_," Renesmee teased from above us, skating circles around her collapsed mother and father. Over a year ago I had ineptly made an attempt to inform Renesmee about sex. Then I conceded to the literary perfection of a health text book, left it with her during the evening, and spoke with her later to confirm that she understood it completely.

"Your mother assaulted me," Edward complained in his defense. He exaggerated a pained groan from beneath me. I shoved him in the shoulder and rolled off, onto a knee and up to my feet before he could chivalrously right himself and assist me.

Things were different without Jacob. We had been a family then, with him serving as some sort of extended cousin, or uncle that had far too much say in the raising of our child. Now that he was gone, I guilty enjoyed every moment of his absence. With proper distraction, Renesmee didn't seem to notice. I had Edward's confirmation that thoughts of Jacob were scarce.

"Race you to the car!" Renesmee called suddenly, disengaging from our handholding to tear down the sidewalk in an aggressive skating pose, pushing one foot out behind the other in perfect inline skating pose. Edward and I exchanged glances, allowing those few seconds as a head start before the chase began. Edward overtook her easily, and then I was at his heels. My daughter bumped me playfully from behind and I stumbled, careening into Edward who spun neatly out of the way, off the curb and into the street where he landed with the finesse of a figure skater. He had reached the Volvo first.

It would have saved time to rollerblade to and from the Cullen residence but Edward pointed out that the distance was a little more than what any normal human being was capable of traveling. To remain inconspicuous, we drove to town. Along the way home, Edward pulled into Charlie's driveway and we visited briefly with my father, who promised to see us off.

The Quileute tribe wouldn't celebrate this time. When Edward's family left over three years ago to save me from the danger that they imposed onto my life, the residents of La Push threw a large bon fire party. The natives reveled so much in the loss of Dr. Cullen and his family, that Charlie was disgusted. He understood now that there was some sort of underlying current of animosity that we couldn't explain, but he also knew that Jacob and Renesmee's close friendship was behind the dissolution of most of the rivalry.

My father was too observant. I knew that it came from years of being a police officer, but it didn't mean that I had to like and appreciate his well-trained eyes. He waited until Edward and Renesmee were 'out of ear shot', I imagined, then waved me back to him for a confidential talk just inside of the front door. I knew that Edward would hear everything, but Renesmee lacked our acute auditory senses. As a half-breed our child might overhear the occasional word as a murmured whisper through the partially closed door.

"Jacob left home again," he told me, expression becoming grim.

"I'm not putting up flyers this time either, Dad," I groaned out loud, raising one hand to my forehead. "Jacob is an adult and more than capable of taking care of himself. I hope you don't slap photographs of him up for everyone to see because he's hardly a _boy _now."

"That isn't why I mentioned it to you, Bells. Billy is worried this time. They're all concerned because he--I don't understand this part, but I know that _you_ do—but he's not answering them when they call for him." Dad was looking at me with that knowingly insightful small town cop expression. It was that expression that told you that you were busted without a praying chance of getting off easy.

I sighed and rolled my shoulders. "I'm not telling lies, Dad, but it's nothing new and Billy knows it." They hadn't made this easy for me and I couldn't determine whether the concern was an earnest, genuine fear for Jacob's well-being, or some well-devised plot to get Charlie onto their side, in hopes that we would pity Jacob and remain here in Forks. "Do me a favor and trust in me just this once, Dad. I know that you've always liked Jake more than Edward, and I know that you wish I had made decisions differently, but what's going on now between Jacob and me is something that has to stay between Jacob and _me_," I informed him. "Jacob's done this before, Dad. Before my wedding to Edward, he took off and wouldn't contact anyone then either. Jacob sucks at communication unless he's the one with something to say."

Dad didn't seem convinced by my willingness to discredit the worry of the Quileute elder, but the urgency in my tone seemed to soften him. His expression relaxed and the tension left his shoulders. "You're right, Bella. I should never have gotten involved in the mess between you two kids anyway." I saw my father glance outside to see Edward and Renesmee were waiting in the car. Edward had a curious expression on his face, and I knew he was listening to Charlie's thoughts. Renesmee seemed oblivious. "Look. I don't have anything against Edward anymore. He treats you well, Bells. Better than most husbands his age would treat their wives…"

I sensed something in that statement. Dad and Mom married at a young age. They were nearly the same age as Edward and I, and their marriage had been doomed almost from the beginning. It had taken little more than two years for Mom to flee this dismal little town to the sunny warmth of Phoenix, Arizona, claiming that she loathed Forks too much to make her marriage work. I just didn't buy it that it was the town that chased Mom away. Who threw away a marriage and split up a family because their hometown sucked? I wondered what kind of a husband Dad had been back then. I imagined him unintentionally neglectful, silent and prone to long periods of inactivity unless sports or fishing was involved. In contrast, Edward was a doting and wonderful husband who could hang onto my every word. He loved me just as Charlie had loved Renee, but they were two different men. Mom and I were two different women. Charlie needed a woman that was more independent than Renee. My dad needed someone who required less coddling and attention; he needed someone like Sue. Phil had his work cut out for him. When he wasn't playing games, on the road, or at practice, he had to endure Mom's eccentric schedule of activities and events.

"Edward makes me happy, Dad. He's the best thing to ever happen to me in Forks." Without Edward, there would be no Renesmee. I needed her as much as I needed him. They were the matching set that combined to make me the remarkably happy woman that I am today. I would not know how to go on if I were to lose one or the other.

"I know that he makes you happy, Bella. That's why… it's why I wanted to say that…I'm proud of you." My father hugged me tight at that moment. Charlie wasn't much on physical affection and I could remember very few times that he had ever touched me at all aside from a very awkward pat on the shoulder, followed by silence.

When the hug was over, I stepped back, warily expecting my dad to pull the rug out from beneath me. I couldn't remember the last time Charlie had uttered those words. Half of the time that I lived under his roof was also spent in disciplinary. I was grounded for months at a time. Following my stunt of fleeing Forks and driving away to Phoenix to escape the dangerous hunter, Charlie had placed rules and stipulations in effect. He definitely didn't trust Edward. Following my flight to Italy to rescue Edward from the Volturi, I was placed on complete house arrest and allowed to leave only under circumstances of needing to work for my teenage living, school, and to visit La Push to see Jacob. Charlie made it no secret that he preferred Jacob, but I never understood why. If only he knew that Jacob was no better a choice than Edward.

Edward had never tried to manipulate me. Edward had never forced me to kiss him. Edward also hadn't been so pushy as to try to use my emotions and feelings to get his way. Jacob had ratted me out but Charlie neglected to blame him for teaching me to ride it. Dad also failed to chastise Jacob for using his awesome mechanic skills to repair the thing in the first place.

"You're making the right choice, Bella."

I was staggered. "I am?"

"You know what's best for your child and your family, Bella. I may be your father, and I may want you and Nessie to stay in Forks where I can keep an eye on you, but this is something that only you can decide."

Dad's moment of wisdom gave me courage and the strength that I needed to go through with this. It was also creepy enough that I wanted to go home and pretend Charlie and I hadn't bonded. I stammered out an inelegant word of gratitude, then hugged him briefly—carefully, with one arm around him that remained loose, so as not to crush his ribs and spine.

When I took my seat in the Volvo, Edward was smiling.

***

Renee accepted the news so calmly that I feared she might have been on painkillers, or mood suppressants. Mom was full of surprises that I never expected to receive from her. It began with Renee's approval of the wedding. I could still remember when she told me that she thought Edward was in love with me, gesturing to him as he feigned a sleeping state in the teal recliner located at the foot of my hospital bed.

"I can't believe that Mom is alright with this," I muttered again for the third time as I peered out of the Volvo window.

"Renee knows that you're an adult," Edward reminded me for the third time. He was slouched down in the passenger seat with a very displeased expression on his face, once again playing the part of the martyr as I drove across Canadian interstates, forming a multi-vehicle procession. Carlisle paid a vehicle transport service to come load his black Mercedes, Alice's yellow Ferrari, Rosalie's M3, Edward's Aston Martin, and my sleek little sports car onto a truck. We were sure to arrive far ahead of them. Emmett and Esme each had commercial drivers licenses, thus were behind the wheel of the two large U-haul trucks. Rosalie and Carlisle partnered with them. Jasper and Alice occupied Emmet's obscenely large Jeep, leaving Edward, Renesmee, and me to the Volvo. It all worked out very well.

"You drive as slow as an old woman, Mama," Renesmee whined from behind me suddenly, leaning up against the back of the driver's seat to snake a slender arm around me. At her touch, I was able to see visions of Edward roaring down the road to Port Angeles, driving at a reckless speed that would have mortified me. I turned to shoot him a glare.

"I have never crashed or had an accident, Bella." This was his defense apparently, putting up both hands in a helpless sort of gesture that whittled away at my fury. "My reflexes are exceptional. I would never allow anything to happen to Renesmee."

My fingers tightened on the wheel. I inhaled an unnecessary breath of air and exhaled the extraneous mouthful of oxygen from my deceased lungs. Calmly, I continued to drive without giving Edward an immediate response. "You're right," I stated eventually, voice and tone lowly murmured in response. "Our reflexes and ability to react are faster than the average human." After three years of living at a vampire, I neglected some of the perks and privileges of losing my humanity. One of those benefits was my heightened senses and ability to calculate even minute shifts of the wheel. If an adjacent car on the highway happened to travel an inch, I noticed it before the driver, and I had the reflexes to tap the brakes and fall behind.

Edward and Alice were two of the best people to travel with. Both were total speed demons but they were capable of determining the safest route. My husband was a human radar scanner and Alice's future-seeing visions were unsurpassed.

"Does that mean that you're going to let Dad drive?" Renesmee asked. She and Edward were giving me particularly beseeching expressions which matched so cutely. Edward's smile was copied into my daughter's features, playfully wide and jovial, but set in the shape of my own mouth. My eyes were the most prominent physical trait that she inherited, but I could see some small traces of my former human self in her; Renesmee's top lip was just a little larger than the bottom lip.

"Of course not," I answered sweetly.

We were only fifteen miles or so away from Thorne Bay when the tiny silver cell phone began to ring from its place in the empty, spotless ashtray. Charlie had phoned us twice already since we embarked on our journey, so I expected to find his number in the caller id window. The phone flashed Carlisle's name and I instantly felt a feeling of dread when I noticed that Edward had gone stone still beside me. I flipped open the phone and touched it up to my ear.

"What's wrong, Alice?" I immediately asked.

"The Volturi. _They're in Forks_."


End file.
